Tray tables can be used in vehicles such as airplanes, trains, helicopters, and buses. Tray tables can be stowed in the seatback of passenger seats in a stowed position and can be lowered into a deployed position during flight. Tray tables can be connected to one or more arms (e.g., support arms, tray table arms, etc.) that pivot from the seatback, such as down from the seatback, to a position in front of the passenger in the deployed position.
Support arms can be attached to the sides of the seat, substantially removed from the space occupied by the passenger(s), to support the tray table, such as about each of its ends. However, some seats, such as front-row seats, exit row seats, and other seats, such as those that do not have a seat positioned in front of them, may not accommodate such a construction. Accordingly, such seats can use a construction in which the tray table and any associated arms are located to a side of the seat. The tray table can be supported by a support arm on one side of the tray table. Some designs include a mechanism for moving the tray table and support arm from a position at the side of the passenger to a deployed position in front of the passenger. A positioning mechanism can enable movement of the tray table from the stowed position at the side of the seat to the deployed position. A positioning mechanism can enable movement of the tray table to allow a passenger exit their seat without having to stow an arm coupled to the tray table.
Tray table support arms can be made from metallic materials, such as aluminum, since aluminum has a lower weight as compared to other metals such as steel. However, metallic arms are machined and subject to other secondary operations, which add to manufacturing costs and time.
Weight reduction in aerospace components offers significant benefits in terms of cost reduction arising from fuel savings and/or increased range. There accordingly remains a need for a lighter weight support arm and tray table. Such an arm should not experience premature failure and should offer efficiencies in manufacturing cost and time.